Indianapolis Star columnist Suzette Hackney has been named director of opinion and community engagement for the media company. Hackney takes over for Tim Swarens, who will be a full-time columnist.

IndyStar executive editor Ronnie Ramos, who made the announcement, said the move came at Swarens' request. After 15 years as opinion page editor, Swarens said he was ready to get back to writing full time.

While paying tribute to Swarens' leadership and writing skills over the years, Ramos said Hackney's new position is "a great opportunity for her to lead our editorial board and help us engage better with our community."

Hackney, who will mark her three-year anniversary with IndyStar next month, said her goal is to make the opinion pages a “safe space” for everyone to come to for “intelligent, civil and informed conversation” about events in the community and in the country.

“We want all voices from all walks of life, all politics, to come and have civil conversations,” she said. “I think we struggle as a nation with that now. I want to encourage different ideas, different thoughts."

Hackney, the first African-American to lead IndyStar's opinion section, said she intends to add more conservative voices to the mix.

"We have to get to a place where we are truly listening to each other, where we may not agree with someone but that doesn’t mean we have to lop off that person’s head. I want our opinion pages to force dialogue throughout the community.”

Swarens, who will remain on the editorial board, said he welcomes the opportunity to step back from management and delve more deeply into writing.

“This is something I’ve wanted for some time,” he said, "and I’m thrilled that Suzette’s here to step in. It’s a great opportunity for me to do something I really love, which is storytelling.”

For her part, Hackney said Swarens "has taught me a tremendous amount about Indianapolis and being a leader in the community. I’m so pleased that he’s going to be writing full time."

Swarens, 56, received the 2016 Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2016 and spent much of the past year working on a human trafficking series that exposed the horrors surrounding the sale and sexual abuse of children and teens around the globe.

“I feel extremely thankful for having this job for 15 years, following some great editors like Jerry Lyst and Andrea Neal. To move into something like this, the opportunity to be a full-time columnist, is exciting.”

Hackney, 46, is a journalism graduate of Michigan State University. She worked for 17 years in Detroit, covering criminal justice, city hall, real estate and politics for the Detroit News and the Free Press, and is pursuing a master’s in creative nonfiction writing at Butler University.

She will continue to write regular columns, focusing on issues she cares deeply about, including criminal justice and education, and stories of people overcoming challenges, like this past weekend's story about a 70-year-old grandmother who just earned her doctorate.

Hackney won the National Association of Black Journalists' Salute to Excellence award in 2017 for best column writing, as well as first place for column writing from the Associated Press Managing Editors and Hoosier State Press Association. She also was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists this year for her columns.

IndyStar readers over the years have accused the newspaper of leaning both right and left, depending on the reader’s point of view. That’s OK with Hackney and Swarens, who say a diverse mix of voices and politics contributes to better understanding on both sides.

“We’re going to continue to irritate people,” Swarens said. “It comes with the territory. Particularly in 2018, a lot of people want their opinions validated, not challenged, but I think our job as opinion journalists is to challenge. We learn from one another hopefully, and the only way to do that is to be exposed to people who think differently.”

Hackney echoed that sentiment.

"We’re really trying to broaden how we engage with the community. I’m hoping that’s something that I can have a hand in leading us to a more civil place where we can discuss things."